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Battle of Tarragona (August 1641)

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Battle of Tarragona
Part of the Franco-Spanish War (1635)
Date20 – 25 August, 1641
Location
Off Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain
Result Spanish victory[1][2]
Belligerents
 France Spain Spain
Commanders and leaders
Kingdom of France Henri d'Escoubleau de Sourdis Spain Duke of Fernandina
Spain Duke of Maqueda
Strength
14 galleons,
13 pataches
17 galleys,
3 fireships[3]		 30–35 galleons and frigates[4][3]
29 galleys[4][3]
65 transport ships[4]
Casualties and losses
1 fireship captured[5] Minor[5]

The naval Battle of Tarragona of August 1641 took place between 20 – 25 August, 1641, between the Spanish and French fleets during the French stage of the Thirty Years' War.[1] The Spanish fleet, led by the Duke of Fernandina and the Duke of Maqueda broke the French naval blockade over Tarragona and defeated the French fleet under Henri d'Escoubleau de Sourdis,[1] forcing to French fleet to retreat.[1][6] The city was also besieged by land since April by a Franco-catalan army commanded by Philippe de La Mothe-Houdancourt. The Spanish succes in driving Sourdis out of the area, together with the arrival of a relief force sent by land, forced the Franco-catalan army to leave the siege, and to retreat to Valls, pursued by the Spanish army.[2]

The Spanish victory prevented the fall of Tarragona to the Franco-catalan allies, for which Cardinal Richelieu deprived Sourdis of his office and replaced him by the young Jean Armand de Maillé-Brézé, his nepwhep.[7] In spite of his success, the Duke of Fernandina was also deprived of his charge.[7] The Count-Duke of Olivares feel dissatisfied because the Duke of Fernandina failed to destroy the French fleet, and imprisoned him.[7] The case was truly unusual, the two admirals, both the victor and the vanquished, had the same bitter reward. However, the ostracism of the French Admiral was final, while Spanish was soon restored after the fall of Olivares in 1643, back in charge, and even became part of the Council of the King of Spain.[5]

Background

Henri d'Escoubleau de Sourdis, commander of the French fleet.

On April 1641, the Catalan rebels and the French troops led by Marshal Philippe de La Mothe-Houdancourt sent to support them launched an offensive to capture Tarragona, one of the few remaining Catalan towns in Spanish hands.[8] On 29 April, La Mothe was in front of Tarragona with his army, composed by 10,000 infantry and 2,000 cavalry, and he laid siege to the town.[9] The French fleet commanded by Henri d'Escoubleau de Sourdis was deployed to support the land operations, and the French Admiral began a naval blockade of Tarragona.[10] Between 4 and 6 July, 1641, the Spanish galley fleet led by the Duke of Fernandina attempted to break the French naval blockade over Tarragona, getting having introduced some relief into Tarragona, but failing to break the blockade.[4]

Philip IV of Spain ordered to assemble a second, far bigger force, to force Sourdis to abandon his blockade and introduce soldiers and supplies into the town.[11] The command of this new fleet was entrusted to the Duke of Maqueda, who sailed from Cádiz on 20 July.[12] The squadrons of Galicia and Dunkirk, and the galleys of Naples, Sicily and Genoa were gathered together at Cartagena. The Duke of Fernandina joined this force with his fleet, increasing its strenght to 30 or 35 galleons and frigates, 29 galleys and 65 transport ships full of supplies. At the dawn of August 20, they reached the waters of the besieged city.[3][12]

Battle of Tarragona

The French fleet, composed by 26 galleons, 19 galleys, 8 brigantines and 4 fireships,[4] alarmed, was soon put online his ships and open fire on the Spanish fleet.[12] The Spaniards immediately responded to the fire of the enemy with his galleons, causing serious damage to the French galleons, and forcing the French fleet to leave the harbor entrance.[12] With the blockade broken, and the French fleet busy with the Spanish galleons, the Spanish convoy of 65 ships, escorted by the Spanish galleys, entered without any problem in the port, with great joy of the defenders.[12][11] Achieved the main objective, Spanish galleys were reorganized, and attacked the flank of the French fleet.[12] The combined attack caused a severe blow to the French fleet, and Sourdis, seeing the superiority of the Spanish fleet, ordered the withdrawal on 25 August.[6][12]

The French fleet retired to the French coasts, pursued by the Spanish fleet, and during the pursuit, a French fireship was captured.[12] The naval victory was complete and the Spaniards obtained the naval control of the area.[12] After, the Spanish fleet provisioned the towns of Roses, Perpignan and Collioure, and finally returned to Tarragona.[12] In land, the French army led by La Mothe-Houdancourt, with the end of the naval blockade, and with the arrival of reinforcement Spanish troops, was forced to leave the siege, retreating to Constantí and Valls, pursued by the Spanish army.[2]

Consequences

Cardinal Richelieu by Robert Nanteuil.

In France, the powerful minister of Louis XIII, Cardinal Richelieu, angered by the defeat, deprived Sourdis of his office and replaced him by the young naval officer Jean Armand de Maillé-Brézé.[7] In Spain, in spite of his success, also Don García de Toledo, Duke of Fernandina, was deprived of his charge. The Count-Duke of Olivares feel dissatisfied because Fernandina did not destroyed the French fleet, and imprisoned him.[7] The case was truly unusual, the two admirals, both the victor and the vanquished, had the same bitter reward. However, the ostracism of the French Admiral was final, while Spanish was soon restored after the fall of Olivares in 1643, back in charge, and even became part of the Council of the King of Spain.[12]

But the war continued, and the following year, a new Spanish fleet organized in Cádiz under the command of Don Juan Alonso Idiáquez, Marquis of Ciudad Real, sailed to Catalonia, and defeated the French fleet under the new French admiral, Jean Armand de Maillé-Brézé, at the Battle of Barcelona.[12]

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d Duro 80–85
  2. ^ a b c Balaguer p.57
  3. ^ a b c d La Roncière p.79
  4. ^ a b c d e Duro 81–82
  5. ^ a b c Duro 84–85
  6. ^ a b La Roncière p.82
  7. ^ a b c d e La Roncière p.83
  8. ^ Balaguer p.50
  9. ^ Balaguer p.53
  10. ^ La Roncière p.75
  11. ^ a b Balaguer p.56
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Duro 83–85

References

  • Template:Sp icon Sanz, Fernando Martín. La política internacional de Felipe IV. Fernando Martín Sanz. (2003) ISBN 9789875610392.
  • Template:Sp icon Fernández Duro, Cesáreo. Armada Española desde la Unión de los Reinos de Castilla y de León. Madrid. (1898)
  • Black, Jeremy. European warfare 1494-1660. Routledge. (2002) ISBN 9780415275323.
  • Template:Fr icon La Roncière, Charles de. Histoire de la marine française. Vol I. Paris: E. Plon. Nourrit. (1899)
  • Thion, Stéphane. French Armies of the Thirty years War. LRT Editions. (2008) ISBN 9782917747018.
  • Template:Sp icon Balaguer, Víctor. Historia de Cataluña. Vol VIII. Madrid: Impr. y fundición de M. Tello. (1885)
  • Stradling, R. A. Spain's struggle for Europe 1598-1668. Continuum International Publishing Group. (1994) ISBN 9781852850890.

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